Luke 12:13-34
Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’
He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Let us pray:
Holy God, pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here. Open our ears that we might hear Jesus clearly, open our eyes that we might see our inner life with clarity, and open our minds that we might know what it is you are calling us to do. May the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O God. Amen.
This week, we are beginning a four week series titled ‘Your Money:Living Life Abundantly.’ It’s not a prosperity series in which I’ll promise you wealth, longevity, and happiness. That kind of Christianity is easy enough to find elsewhere. This series will not culminate in me asking you for money to help support the ministries of the church. I want it to be a time, outside of a giving campaign or an ‘ask,’ to look at what Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke about money, greed, wealth, injustice, and compassion. Over 1⁄3 of the parables that Jesus tells pertain to money. There is an incredible number of references and moments of instruction in both Luke’s gospel and the long sweep of scripture about money for our approach to it is a demonstration of our relationship to God. Unfortunately in the church, we rarely speak honestly about the intersections between life following Jesus and our approach to money. We speak as little about money in the church as we do sexualitythis probably has a lot to do with shame and embarrassment and that Jesus’ teachings are not easy. What Jesus teaches about money and the nearness of God’s kingdom at hand has a high probability of making us incredibly uncomfortable.
Would you threaten to sue your sibling or cousin over a few hundred dollars, the cost of a plot in the family cemetery? Years ago, I heard a story about just such a thing. Both elderly parents were deceased and the only living relatives in the family left were two siblings, a brother and sister. The brother was entrusted to care for the financial and legal matters that come with settling an estate. The sister did not have much a role in the matter. And so it goes, family heirlooms, beloved pieces of furniture and jewelry are divided up among various members of the family. The house is prepped for an estate sale and then later put on the market. Parcels of land are subdivided so that there is a sense of impartiality in the wishes of the deceased toward those who will inherit. Some of you know this process well having gone through it with your own parents or in documenting your own wishes so that it is clear who will receive what.
Between those two siblings I began telling you about, discord began brewing as the estate was nearly settled. The sister who did not have much of a role in these end of life matters felt a sense of injustice of being cheated from the rightful share of the inheritance. She reasoned that the brother had unfettered access to the checkbook and all the money that was coming in from insurance policies and the sale of the family home. Maybe he was skimming a bit off the top for himself before then dividing the diminished remainder equally without the sister being any the wiser.
Finally the estate was settled and the proceeds divided. And then greed reared its ugly head. The sister accused the brother of hoarding the family’s unused cemetery plots that had been purchased in bulk. Each unused plot was worth a few hundred dollars. The sister demanded payment for the value of each plot still in the brother’s possession, threatening to take the brother to court if payment was not swift.
Jesus, tell my brother to give me mom and dad’s unused cemetery plot.
In this morning’s gospel lesson, a bystander in the crowd catches Jesus’ attention with a strong request or demand that Jesus serve as judge and jury in an impending family dispute over an inheritance. Presumably, the man making the request is the younger brother in the family who is not satisfied that the lion’s share of the inheritance is going to the oldest brother. We see this play out in a similar manner in the opening verses of the Prodigal Son narrative. A younger brother goes to his dad and demands the inheritance that would go to him in the event of his father’s death. He is so emboldened in his request, he might as well be saying, “Dad, act like you are dead because I want your things now.” Especially in times of transition, greed strikes at the opportunity to acquire what the eyes already beheld. As the family inheritance moves from father to sons in our text, the time seems ripe to expand one’s claim. The cunning brother seeks a decisive word from Jesus to justify his claim for a larger portion of the inheritance.
It’s not extraordinary that the man brings a family dispute to Jesus to settle. Moses once served as judge and jury for the Israelites in the wilderness. All the day long, disputes were brought to Moses in which he unilaterally decided the outcome until his father in law realized how ridiculous the scenario was. He encouraged Moses to establish a team of judges that could bear the case load. They would leave the really difficult and complex cases for Moses and they would decide the simpler ones on their own. Shortly after this episode with Moses and his father in law Jethro, the Israelites arrive in the desert of Sinai where God gives Moses the 10 commandments to further provide parameters on how the community can live in right relationships.
Unlike Moses who settled such disputes day in and day out, Jesus resists the man’s request for arbitration. Jesus has no interest in being the referee for this family dispute. Instead, he sheds light on the real matter at hand: the condition of the man’s heart who wants a larger share of the family estate. There is a desire to have more. A covetous spirit. Greed. Lack of contentment.
Not only does Jesus tell the man and the crowd that the one with the most toys at the end doesn’t win, for life is much more than just an abundance of possessions, he shares a story about a rich land owner who had a great yield of crops. We’re not talking about a subsistence farmer whose crops go straight from the field to the kitchen. This landowner’s farm stretches out to the horizon in every direction and there’s no serious risk that he is going to go without any time soon.
When it was time for the crops to be harvested, there was such an abundance that there literally was not another square foot in the barn to store them for future use. His grain silo is full, his hay loft is packed to the roof line, and the barn doors will not shut. And his field hands continue to bring in the harvest. With such an abundance, the man has to determine what he will do next.
We’re privileged to hear the man’s internal musings as he problem solves. I think I’ll tear down the barns, build newer and bigger ones, buy the adjoining parcel, plant more seed, hire more field hands, upgrade equipment, store up plenty for myself, turn a nice profit in the marketplace, rent another storage unit, and retire early. I will not have a worry in the world. No matter what comes my way, I can eat, drink, and be merry. That’s the life!
But have you noticed the preoccupation that the rich farmer has with himself? In the scripture text of the parable, there is not a single mention of another human being. No mention of the workers who tend his fields. No mention of neighbors who might be trying to get through the growing season with enough food on the table. No mention of travelers who need to glean food from the edges of his fields. No mention of a community of faith where he could give thanks to God for this provision for abundance. The rich farmer has an inordinate concern for himself and his future. His sole preoccupation is how he can acquire, store, and protect to guarantee provision for years to come. Perhaps it is anxiety and fear of being without that drives his storing up behavior but he cuts himself off from God and neighbor in his attempt to center the world on his needs.
Greed is a distraction from living in right relationship with God and with neighbors. It’s a misplaced love that keeps your heart from pursuing what matters to God.
“Greed represents our deep desire to be in communion, to be in fellowship, relationship in order to be loved. Greed grasps for love. But greed is warped love, a distortion of love, because rather than being in the presence of a person, we find ourselves in the presence of and fill our lives with inanimate objects, material idols, grains and crops, lots of goodies.”1
The heart of the matter is that the man’s greed or desire for more cannot be satiated and the maddening pursuit of more has left the man without community. He has no one to love him and no one to love. Indeed he stored up worthless treasure and was cheap towards God and the people God loves.
How can we share an abundance of any kind with our neighbor when we’re busy building barns and storage sheds?
How do we know when we’re being greedy and not just trying to care for our families? How can we help create conditions of life for our neighbors if we refuse to live simply?
If we asked our neighbors and local business owners, who or what this church treasures, what would they say?
You could look at our church’s expenses or your own family’s and get a pretty good idea of whether the barns are being torn down for bigger ones or whether the abundance of the harvest is being shared. Checkbooks and online banking statements provide a mighty clear picture of what is important to us.
I remember a divinity school classmate whose religious tradition and community of faith yoked together families and at the end of each month, each family would review the other’s checkbook. I was amazed and surprised at this level of transparency and accountability but what I learned from my classmate was that for him it was a practice of spiritual growth and dependence on God’s grace. He was regularly asking of his own life with God: Is my family consuming and storing up to the detriment of others? Is my family growing in faith and generosity? Does my family treasure what God treasures? How much is enough?
Those questions are good ones to ask. Bless you in the name of the Almighty, Son, and Spirit. Amen.